1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of in-line roller skates, and more particularly to the use of front and rear bogies to independently support front and rear wheel pairs, respectively, of an in-line roller skate, the rear bogie including a selectively operable wheel braking means.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of bogie supported wheels in an in-line roller skate is generally known. U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,090 describes a roller skate wherein the front two wheels of the skate are supported by a bogie, thus enabling the skater to lift the rear wheel, while maintaining the front two wheels in contact with the skating surface. U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,605 is also of general interest relative to the use of wheel-supporting bogies to provide a steerable vehicle, such as roller skates.
The roller skating art provides various means to absorb shock in a manner so as to minimize the shock that is transmitted to the feet of the skater. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,479 describes a roller skate having a forward inclined lever and a rear inclined lever, each lever being aligned with the direction of skating. A mid-point of each lever is pivoted to a frame that is carried below the skate shoe. The lower portion of each lever mounts a pair of laterally spaced wheels. The upper portion of each lever is connected to the frame by way of shock absorbing rubber cushion rings. U.S. Pat. No. 2,644,692 describes an in-line roller skate wherein each wheel is separately cushioned. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,552,987, 2,557,331, 3,653,678, 3,951,422, and 4,351,538 are additional examples of the general use of some form of shock absorber in the roller skate art.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,071 describes an in-line skate brake assembly wherein lifting of the toe, or heel of the skate shoe, operates to bring the rear or the front skate wheel into engagement with a braking surface. U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,244 also teaches an arrangement of this general type. U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,726 teaches another arrangement for actuating a roller skate brake upon lifting the toe of the skate shoe.
While devices of the type above described are generally useful for their limited intended use, the need remains in the art for an improved wheel suspension/braking apparatus and method for in-line roller skates wherein a front bogie supports a front pair of in-line surface-engaging wheels, and a rear bogie supports a rear pair of in-line surface-engaging wheels, a shock absorbing arrangement mounts the front and rear bogies and the two pairs of in-line surface-engaging wheels under the shoe sole by way of a front facing pivoted lever and a rear facing pivoted lever, the front lever being inclined downward toward the toe of the shoe, the rear lever being inclined downward toward the heel of the shoe, and a mid point of each lever being pivoted on a frame that extends downward from the shoe sole, the lower end of the front lever mounting the front bogie, and the lower end of the rear lever mounting the rear bogie, and a shock absorbing mechanism operating between the upper end of each lever and the frame, wherein an adjustable position brake pad is mounted to the frame at a location adjacent to and above the rear wheel within the rear pair of wheels, such that when the shoe toe is selectively elevated by the user, both wheels of the rear pair of wheels remain in physical contact with the skating surface, while the rear bogie pivots relative to its lever and relative to the shoe sole, and the rear wheel is brought into braking engagement with the brake pad.